Various types of cutting implements are known in the prior art. The particular implement that would be selected by a person would, of course, depend upon the function to be achieved.
One particular application for a cutting instrument is one wherein heavy wooden items are to be sawed. An example of this type of use is the logging industry wherein trees are cut down, cut into segments, etc. An implement known as a chain saw is used to effect this function.
On a smaller scale, homeowners purchase and use chain saws, for example, to prune trees in their yards. That is not to say that chain saws, in a residential environment, do not have other applications. The chain saw is, in fact, a very versatile appliance.
Use of chain saws dictates certain features be incorporated into the device. The features are functions of a desire to maximize efficiency and minimize dangers in use. A feature which derives from both of these considerations is one wherein the chain is maintained in a taut configuration both at start-up and during use. Certainly, the more taut the chain is, the more efficiently the appliance will cut. If the chain is slack, the cutting process will be slower, and the cut-line will be less clean.
Probably of more significance is the safety aspect. It is essential that all precautions be taken when utilizing any implement having a cutting element which is moving at a very high rate of speed. This dictate is particularly necessary to be observed in the case of chain saws.
In furtherance of maximization of safety, it is extremely important that unnecessary slack be eliminated from the run of the chain saw chain. If too much slack is present, it might even be possible for the chain to jump off the sprockets over which it runs. As will be clear to the casual observer, if this occurred, the results could be disastrous.
If the chain is not maintained in a taut configuration, the chain could, possible, snap. A tension might become applied while the equipment were running and slack might be eliminated in a microsecond. This application of a high measure of tension in a very short period of time can result in the breaking of the chain. Again, one can envision the hazard to life and limb that would result.
It is optimum, therefore, that the chain of a chain saw be maintained uniformly at an appropriate level of tension. By doing so, both efficiency and safety are maximized.
It is to these problems and dictates of the prior art that the present invention is directed. It is an improved tensioning mechanism for use in a chain saw application.